If you enjoy playing with shapes, textures and symbolic meanings, and want to create a truly calming space – give the oriental garden style a go. This is a style developed over hundreds of years in China and refined further in Japan.
1. Inspired by nature
The oriental garden is a natural landscape in miniature. Every element is carefully chosen for its look and symbolic meaning: rocks represent high mountains, ponds – or raked gravel – are mini-oceans, plants are symbolic forests. There are no straight lines, paths meander and often take the shape of stepping stones.
2. Water – either real or symbolic
A good landscape picture needs water. A real pond should have wavy edges or even be ‘stretched’ to allow a path to cross it using a low arching bridge. Failing that, a flat area of clean raked gravel will look good, with groups of bigger round stones near the edges and perhaps three large rocks placed carefully to imitate islands.
3. The plants – less is more
The range of plants is limited and they must have year-round interest in the garden. The bamboos, azaleas and Japanese maples set the scene. Any small-leaved shrubs need to be tightly clipped into hill-like mounds. For the more adventurous gardeners, there are ‘cloud-pruned’ conifers.
4. Materials and ornaments
The traditional ones are made either of bamboo or stone. Use bamboo screens to hide a view or install a small water feature, a ‘deer scarer’, made from a thick bamboo cane. A stone seat and a stone lantern will complete the set.
5. For local inspiration...
… and suitable materials visit the Japanese Garden Centre near Paddock Wood in Kent.
Japanese Garden Centre near Paddock Wood in Kent - for stylish essentials